Cupcake Christmas Tree

Transform basic chocolate cupcakes into a stunning centerpiece for your Christmas dessert spread by generously coating the frosted tops with green sprinkles or jimmies and fastening them onto a Styrofoam cone using toothpicks.

Pine Nut Cheese Crisps

These fragrant, festive crisps are deceptively simple to make. Top shredded Asiago cheese with chopped sage and pine nuts, then bake until golden. Bake the crisps on a silicone pad or parchment paper to keep them from sticking.

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cherry Trifle

This showstopping dessert has many virtues: Not only is it decadent and delicious, the flavor improves if you make it the day before your celebration. Finish the rich mixture of chocolate cake, chocolate custard and sour cream with a dollop of whipped cream just before serving.

Christmas Chutney

The perfect accompaniment to a holiday ham or turkey, this apple-cranberry chutney is spiced up with ginger, turmeric, cumin and coriander. You can make it a few days ahead of time and store in the fridge, or can it to use (and give as gifts) year round.

Alton Brown's French Toast

Our resident chef-scientist has perfected his French toast recipe to yield pieces that are always custardy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The trick? He soaks his bread in the custard mixture overnight, then finishes it in the oven.

Horseradish-Crusted Steak Roulade

This impressive dish will wow your friends and family. Roll peppers, herbs and cheese into flank steak, then coat with breadcrumbs for a crisp crust. When you slice the roast, each piece shows off some of the red and green filling.

Fennel Gratin

This is sort of the grilled steak of vegetable sides: it's rich and intense, and needs a wine that can stand up to it. The cheese and cream let the cabernet's tannins do the heavy lifting; the slight vegetal note of the fennel brings out the wine's red fruit.

Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

Alex's tip for a perfect roast: "It is essential to place the meat on a rack inside a roasting pan so the meat is elevated off the bottom of the pan. This will allow the heat in the oven to circulate all around the meat as it cooks."